Objective: The flat occlusal plate has been recommended to reduce stress concentration in implant prosthesis treatments. The purpose was to investigate the influence of the occlusal splint on three-element implant-supported fixed prosthesis.
Materials and methods: A three-dimensional virtual model was created consisting of a cortical and spongy bone block simulating the region from first premolar to the maxillary first molar using two HE or MT implants (4 x 11mm) with Ti and/or Y-TZP abutments. The second premolar was the pontic of the prosthesis. The three-element fixed prosthesis with a zirconia infrastructure and Y-TZP coating were cemented, in addition to using a flat occlusal splint made of acrylic resin in the region. Combined axial and oblique loads of 100N and 300N were applied.
Results: The tensile stresses on MT implant bone tissue produced values of 4-19% lower than those of HE implants. The lowest differences were observed for oblique loading with an occlusal splint, with a 4% (Ti-Y-TZP) and 9% (Ti-Ti) decrease. When the compressive stresses were evaluated, HE implants produced lower values than MT implants.
Conclusion: A significant increase was observed in the oblique loading stresses in the absence of occlusal splints, regardless of the applied load.
Keywords: Finite Element Analysis; Implant Prosthesis; Occlusal Splints; Stress Concentration.
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